FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. –– A Florida state court has denied Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to toss fraud claims in a talcum powder case, rejecting the defendant’s position that the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.

In a May 7 order, the Florida 17th Judicial Circuit Court for Broward County denied the motion and asked the defendants to answer the plaintiffs’ amended complaint within 20 days. The Johnson & Johnson defendants did so on May 29, according to the court’s online docket.

In a December 2017 motion, the Johnson & Johnson defendants had accused ...